Ron Waterman

Fighting in his home state of Hawaii for the first time under the Elite Xtreme Combat banner, K.J. Noons successfully defended his EliteXC lightweight title for the first time, scoring a quick and brutal first-round stoppage of longtime veteran Yves Edwards in the main event of Saturday night’s “Return of the King” event.

Noons and Edwards wasted no time, quickly meeting in the center of the cage to exchange punches right from the opening bell. Although Edwards stunned Noons at one point, the fast-paced exchange on the feet suddenly came to a halt when Noons caught Edwards with a short right hand that sat him down on the canvas. Noons pounced on Edwards and unleashed a furious barrage of unanswered punches and elbows that forced referee Mario Yamasaki to step in and save Edwards.

“Yves caught me, rocked me,” Noons said after the fight. “But once I knocked him down I knew I had to go in and finish it.’’

Noons post-fight celebration was marred by the entrance of Nick Diaz, still suited up in fight gear from his bout against Muhsin Corbbrey earlier in the night, along with his younger brother and current UFC lightweight Nate Diaz, into the cage. In an attempt to hype a potential rematch between the two, the younger Diaz opted to exchange words with Noons’ father, Karl Sr.

The words soon escalated to threats and before long the elder Noons and the Diaz brothers grabbed one another, forcing ringside officials, color commentator Bill Goldberg, and everyone else in the cage to jump in and prevent an all-out brawl. The Diaz brothers quickly jolted from the cage, holding their trademark middle fingers high in the air while walking backstage.

Elite Xtreme Combat has announced the complete card for it’s upcoming “Return of the King” event, which will take place on June 14th at the Neal Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu, Hawaii.

The event is slated to be headlined by an EliteXC lightweight title bout between current champion K.J. Noons and top contender Yves Edwards. An additional lightweight fight between future DREAM title challenger Nick Diaz and Muhsin Corbbrey has also been signed to take place. Additional main card bouts also include former EliteXC middleweight champion Murilo “Ninja” Rua vs Tony Bonello, Ron Waterman vs Dave Herman, and Rafael Feijao vs Wayne Cole.

Newly crowned ICON Sport middleweight title holder Kala Kolohe Hose will headline the undercard against an opponent yet to be determined. His original foe, former hockey enforcer turned mixed martial artist Geoff Bumstead, has been removed from the card due to unknown reasons.

In a change of pace, the preliminary fights will be streamed on ProElite.com following the conclusion of the main card, which will be televised on Showtime starting at 10 PM ET.

Dave Herman has his hand raised after his victory over Mario Rinaldi. Photo by Tracy Lee. Courtesy of CombatLifestyle.com

A heavyweight bout between undefeated heavyweight prospect Dave Herman and longtime veteran Ron Waterman will likely take place at Elite Xtreme Combat’s scheduled June 14th show in Honolulu, Hawaii.

The news comes from our friends at MMA Junkie, who informed of the potential bout by a source close to Herman.

Herman, who has won his first ten fights to start off his professional career, made his EliteXC debut in February at “Street Certified”, where he stopped American Top Team member Mario Rinaldi with strikes in the third round of their preliminary bout at the show.

Waterman, a veteran of the Ultimate Fighting Championship and PRIDE, is currently riding a two-fight winning streak. Waterman last submitted Hawaiian Analu Brash at an X-1 event in January.

The event in June is slated to be headlined by an EliteXC lightweight title bout between champion K.J. Noons and Yves Edwards. An additional lightweight fight between Nick Diaz and Muhsin Corbbrey has also been signed.

Despite speculation that Mark Kerr would not be approved to fight by the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board because of an existing suspension by the Mohegan Tribe Department of Athletic Regulation, it seems that the former two-time UFC heavyweight tournament winner will be permitted to fight after all.

The news comes from Sam Caplan and Five Ounces of Pain, who report through an official with the NJSACB that Kerr has been taken off of his suspenison in the state of Connecticut and will be cleared to fight Oleg Taktarov at this weekend’s YAMMA Pit Fighting event, assuming he passes all necessary medical exams.

Kerr was suspended after failing pre-fight tests before a scheduled bout against Sean O’Haire last year. Kerr will essentially be replacing an injured Don Frye against Taktarov. Frye was forced to pull out of the bout after suffering a shoulder injury during a recent training session.

He will now be required to undergo surgery but will be at the show do to do commentary on the pay-per-view broadcast.

In addition, Ron Waterman has reportedly been tapped to serve as an alternate for the one night, eight-man heavyweight tournament that is slated to take place at the event.

- Full Contact Fighter is reporting that former UFC Heavyweight Champion Ricco Rodriguez has been forced to withdraw from his scheduled bout against Ron Waterman at HCF: Unfinished Business on July 21 because he has been denied admittance into the country of Canada:

Hardcore Championship Fighting promoter, Keith Crawford, informed FCF this afternoon that Ricco Rodriguez will not fight Ron Waterman on the July 21st, “Unfinished Business” card, in Edmonton, Alberta, as had been advertised. The fight was to be the card’s main event, which will take place at the River Cree Resort and Casino in Alberta’s capital city. According to Crawford, Canadian authorities have denied Rodriguez entrance into the country.

“Mr. Rodriguez’s bond to get into Canada has been revoked due to recent situations.” said Crawford, which was the extent to which he cared to comment. As of last week, Crawford had maintained in correspondence with FCF that he believed all American fighters that were scheduled to compete on the card would be granted entry into Canada.

Rodriguez’s lawyer and agent, James C. Gallo, told FCF this afternoon that “I’m not an expert in Canadian law, but I’m unaware of any reason as to why Rodriguez would be precluded from leaving the U.S. to enter Canada.”

We will be running a series on a seldom seen look at the behind the scenes workings that ultimately lead to the ouster of Nick Diaz from the new Pride organization. In our opinion this ouster had everything to do with Nick’s participation in the EliteXC organization and nothing to do with Zuffa’s technical grounds. Everyday this week we will post corresponding emails and let you the reader be the ultimate judge.

- Joe Riggs’s next fight will be on July 21st against Dan Chambers at Hardcore Fighting Championship’s debut event. Ricco Rodriguez and Ron Waterman will also be fighting for the third time on the card.

The History Channel is jumping on the MMA bandwagon. The network will premier “Human Weapon,” at 10 p.m. Friday, July 20. Hosted by welterweight jiu-jitsu artist Jason Chambers and former professional wrestler Bill Duff, the show will traverse the globe as the two introduce viewers to various martial arts disciplines.

The series opens in iconic referee “Big” John McCarthy’s Ultimate Training Academy in Valencia, Calif. Episode one will focus on muay Thai, as Chambers and Duff travel to Bangok, Thailand, home to the martial art that made Wanderlei Silva and Mauricio Rua household names. From ancient killing techniques in the jungles to weapons training among the ruins of a Buddhist temple, the hosts will attempt to master aspects of the centuries-old discipline in hopes one of them can survive a bout with an international muay Thai champion.

Future episodes will take viewers to Russia to study Sambo (likely with PRIDE heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko) and to Israel to study Krav Maga, a fighting system developed in Europe and employed by various Israeli security forces. The series will also feature exhibition bouts, including one filmed yesterday with former UFC heavyweight champion Ricco Rodriguez.

- Ken Pavia, manager of Phil Baroni, has stated that Baroni will seek a second opinion from doctors on his pending surgery for a torn groin muscle and hernia.

Vancouver, Canada – What happens when you pair one of the most exciting sports in the world with an international entertainment and TV powerhouse? You get nine weeks of televised sporting prowess, scenic Costa Rican beaches, beautiful Bodog girls and one of the most anticipated pay-per-view events of the year: BodogFight: USA vs. Russia.

Saturday’s BodogFight event - the culmination of nine weeks of mixed martial arts combined with lifestyle and entertainment, all captured on film as part of the BodogFight reality television series - was broadcast live on pay-per-view and on broadband to millions of viewers from around the world. The final event, which pitted USA’s toughest and brightest fighters against the elite Russian Red Devils, took place in the fully-packed Agrodome in beautiful Vancouver, Canada.

BodogFight, the newest mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion created by Bodog.com Entertainment Founder Calvin Ayre, showcases former WWE superstar Ron “H2O” Waterman in the headline Superfight at Vancouver’s PNE Agrodome on Saturday, December 2. The Superfight against Roger Gracie will mark the culmination of a star-studded pay-per-view spectacle that will stamp Vancouver, Canada as an elite MMA destination alongside Tokyo and Las Vegas.

“Ron Waterman is a highly skilled fighter and a role model,” says Calvin Ayre, whose recent television productions include Bodog Salutes the Troops and Calvin Ayre Wild Card Poker, which aired on the mainstream channels, Spike TV and Fox Sports Network. “BodogFight is proud to have Ron on our debut pay-per-view program as he brings a champion’s presence into the ring.”

“Bringing Roger Gracie and his family’s tradition to Vancouver marks a new era in sports entertainment,” says Bodog.com Entertainment Founder Calvin Ayre, whose company recently announced plans for international expansion into the European and Asian markets. “MMA is one of the world’s fastest growing spectator sports and BodogFight is holding its promise to deliver fans incredible matchups.”